BRITAIN'S biggest airport is risking a new foot-and-mouth epidemic by missing vital safety checks, the Daily Post can reveal.

BRITAIN'S biggest airport is risking a new foot-and-mouth epidemic by missing vital safety checks, the Daily Post can reveal.

Security checks on meats from infected countries are being routinely ignored at Heathrow Airport.

Our investigation discovered passengers from Kenya - which was rife with the virus just four weeks ago - were able to walk through unchallenged with animal products.

Heathrow's lax bio-security contrasts with our European neighbours who forced travellers from the UK to walk through disinfectant mats during last year's foot and mouth outbreak.

Cheshire farmers were last night outraged by the discovery.

James Bennion, chairman of the Mid-Cheshire branch of the National Farmers' Union, said: "We are sitting on a time-bomb as the next animal disease crisis could be walking through one of our airports at any time.

"With what we've been through as an industry over the past year this makes you cringe.

"We are still suffering the legacy of the catastrophic outbreak. We can only hold our hands up in despair."

In February rural ministry Defra pledged to display warning posters at Heathrow but last week none were in evidence.

Mr Bennion said he was alarmed to hear no restrictions had been imposed on travellers from Kenya after the latest outbreak in the country.

He added: "As a union we are trying to put pressure on the Government to ensure stringent safety procedures are carried out as they are in other countries.

"The outbreak here has cost millions and millions of pounds - not just to farming and the Government but to other industries such as tourism.

"Surely it would cost a fraction of the price to put proper controls in place.

"Foot-and-mouth was imported into this country from aboard. Who is to say that other diseases, such as the TB, will not be next?"

A Defra spokesman said he was concerned at our findings and vowed an immediate investigation.

He said: "We take this matter very seriously and we will look into it.

"The intention is to step up checks and we are discussing this increase and frequency with Customs in regard to countries which have suffered from foot-and-mouth."

He said Defra and the Customs would review the use of warning notices at Heathrow.

But he added it was impossible to check every single person flying in from countries known to have suffered from foot-and-mouth.

He said: "There has to be some limit to it. We cannot search every visitor from outside the EU. It will happen that someone will walk through without being searched. If they are carrying meat products that it is a concern but we are targeting flights.

"A more important issue for us is how it spreads once it gets here. We will never stop it from coming in and we can't stop people from going on holiday."

Last night, Customs spokesman Bob Gager claimed airports did display posters urging travellers not to import meat but he admitted that it was not practical to check baggage specifically for meat.

He said: "There is a new poster at airports throughout the UK. As far as checks for meat are concerned it is principally Defra's responsibility.

"At places like Heathrow we hold special operations with Defra and we might turn out to a number of flights and seize meat which is being imported."

Dr Alex Donaldson, head of the Government's Animal Research Institute, Pirbright, Surrey, said: "Foot-and-mouth is always a risk from countries like Kenya, where the disease is endemic.

"It's very easy to transfer the virus by stupidity, ignorance or intent and we need to raise the level of public awareness. After last year's events in the UK, I would hope people would be more careful."